Tales of the Legendary Shinobi
by Fireball24
Summary: The story of a man not belonging to his world, carving a way for himself and his friends. A slightly fantasy twist to the Kenshi universe.
1. Setting out

The quiet night was disturbed only by the sounds of seemingly unstoppable crickets.

The pale shine of the moon lit up the farms and landscape around the weakly lit town surrounded by high, steep cliffs acting as a wall. It's streets were mostly deserted except for the occasional drunkards or merchants arriving from their long journeys. A dim light flickered above two men sitting on the stairs of the building on the highest peak in the town. One of them had a large straw hat making his head barely visible. He was covered up to his neck by a black, long and finely crafted dustcoat. Occasional glimmers gave away the black chainmail shirt under his coat. His legs were just barely sticking out of the coat revealing thick samurai clothpants. However instead of proper samurai boots he just wore some simple wooden sandals. The other person next to him wore a slightly shabbier, but a similar red dustcoat. A black leather shirt and pants coupled with plated boots, revealed his position as a shinobi warrior.

The red warrior turned his head towards the black one.

"Man, this is quite an achievement, I never thought we would make it." he started.

The man in the black dustcoat smiled sincerely and looked at his surroundings.

"Indeed."

"You should be proud..."

"Oh I am!" the man in black laughed.

"It's amazing when you look back... how did it even start? You were a peasant or something, right?"

"Not quite, but close, a farmer of the holy empire."

"Holy empire, now that's a name I haven't heard in a while..."

"Yea... I am glad we got rid of them"

"Mhm! But, then, how did you become a shinobi? I mean the life of a farmer must have been pretty shit... and wasn't it kinda hard getting out of the empire's claws?"

"Oh, right, well actually life as a farmer was pretty good, you see, bandits didn't really dare going close to the farms because there were regular patrols."

"Oh, so you were in the heartlands?"

"Yes, and we got food, we had a job, and when you were itching for a fight, there were always those pesky river raptors to beat up."

"Hah! Yea, but damn, you went from a farmer to a king, quite the performance there."

"I wouldn't call it a king... more like a voted representative."

"You and your ideals. You know very well that no one will challenge that position anytime soon. Half of them are too scared and the other half is too lazy to handle all that administrative bullshit. I mean, I had to wait two days to get you to sit here with me! You have to get used to being called the Boss forever."

Both men laughed.

The man in black slowly turned his head towards his legs and sighed.

"Well the trade agreements won't sign themselves... But I would really appreciate being relieved of my duty, I feel like a couple more months of this and my hands will be so sore I won't even hold my sword properly."

The man in the red dustcoat turned his attention to a drunkard shouting something at the bar door close by.

"Well I am sure _he_ would love to stab you in the back and take the position."

"Oh, you mean Wee? Hehe, he is quite the individual, but he means well."

"I'd rather have him mean well a few kilometres from me, he is crazy I tell you."

The man in the black dustcoat laughed some more.

"I am surprised he didn't do it during all that time..." the man in the red coat continued.

"Well, he owes me his life after all."

"Hmm, right, he is the... was it fourth?"

"Yea, that's right, the fourth shinobi... It's been quite a while!"

"Well considering we now have an entire town with hundreds of residents, it is a step up from a mere four men in the middle of nowhere."

"Well yes, but I wouldn't be able to reach this without you guys."

"Well we are the legendary twenty after all! Of course you wouldn't be able to do it without us!"

After both men had a laugh the red warrior paused for a second, lost in thought.

"Actually, who was the second?"

"Well Hobbs of course!"

"Oh, so that explains why you always seem to be stuck to him for some reason. How did you two meet?"

"Well, as I said, I was a holy farmer, but the job wasn't very... fulfilling. I worked my ass off training day and night to pay any debts and to prepare for the world outside. And let me tell you, by the end the raptors were actually running away before I left! On that fateful night I said my goodbyes and went on my way, leaving my past behind, excited for the future... :"

This... sword... is actually a lot heavier than I imagined it would be... And I really should have saved up for a shirt...

Well, no point in complaining now, but it itches so goddamn much. I am pretty sure I will have a bloody back soon from that rusted junk on my bare back.

Now where was I heading... right! To Bad Teeth! This is going to last a while... especially with this goddamn bite in my leg and a huge pack of animal skins hanging off my pants.

I returned my attention to the rotting corpse of a river raptor.

You just had to arrive just when I was leaving! Well... atleast that's more skins to sell. I should head out though, I don't want to be outside at night. Well, onwards!

Huh, there is actually a lot of traffic on this road... It almost feels safe. The mercenaries are as annoying as flies with their usual "Do you need protection?!" fifty centimeters off your face, but hey they gotta do what they gotta do... if there weren't 3 damn groups of them passing by every hour. I also think I already lost the sense of touch on my back, it might be torn off already for all I know. Atleast it doesn't itch anymore.

Alright this is waay worse than the heartlands. There is not a single piece of green foliage here. And the damn sun! How can people live here? Well, according to the map I am already halfway there, so I will find out soon enough...

There it is! Stuck in between cliffs, looking similar to a scrapyard. Bad Teeth. Atleast they have a gate, that's somewhat of an indication of the grade of this town.

There are two, very bored looking guards at the gate and about four behind them. Seems like the security is rather tight with the city being a border between the Holy Nation and the United Cities. Luckily I don't even have any proper clothing they can check for contraband. That said, I need to buy a shirt!

I gave a questioning look to the guard in front of me. He had the classic white attire of a Holy Nation paladin. They look really silly in that weird, unwieldy overall armor and bucket helmets, but they are fearsome opponents.

"Carry on." he said without much hesitation.

Huh, alright. Now, I need to find a shop to sell all these animal skins.

There! Near the gate!

A large, two story building higher than the walls was built into the town's outer defenses. A large wooden sign depicting a piece of armor revealed the type of the shop. The entrance was guarded by a single heavily armored mercenary.

Well that was quick.

The guard gave me a "tough guy" look as I went up the stairs towards the door. After opening it I entered a large room spanning the entire first floor filled to the brim with supplies and armor. Two more guards and a merchant stood inside. One guard was with the merchant behind the shop counter, the other one in a corner of the room with a view of the entire floor.

The shop merchant was an old guy. White hair was sticking out from under his plated helmet. He was clearly wearing the best of his armor, so none could steal his masterpieces. As soon as I entered, his wrinkly face turned in my direction.

"Welcome! How may I serve you sir?"

"I am... looking for a shirt."

The guard and the merchant exchanged looks as I continued after a pause.

"You also buy off animal skins, right?"

"Ah, right! There is actually a shortage currently, you're a god's send."

Right! Now we're talking. I might even be able to buy some more stuff for this.

I lifted my heavy pack of skins onto the table in front of me. The shopkeeper almost looked excited.

I was laughing inside my mind at how much money I might get.

"That's... let's see... 560 catuns."

The imaginary laugh stopped right it's tracks.

That's... not much. I killed 10 raptors to get this. I had to travel dozens of kilometres! What is this bullshit!

My face turned into somewhat of a twisted grin as I looked at the massive pile of skins I plopped on the merchant's table for a good 20 seconds.

"Um, so you take it?" The unsure merchant asked.

"Y-yes, just give me the money and a shirt."

"Alright that will be 300 more for the shirt."

My irises expanded from the frustration. I am pretty sure all the veins on my for head were visible at that point. I got... 200 catuns for a dozen kilometre trip, with a bad leg and being overweight with animal skins.

I took the shirt and barged out of the shop as I heard a "Thank you, come again!" fainting in the distance. Good thing there is a bar right opposite of the shop.

I entered a room filled with smoke and the smell of alcohol. Since I pretty much had it with the bullshit in this town, so I just quickly ordered a bed for another 100 to rest and heal up. I am pretty much back to where I was at start with my money.

But I am not okay with that trader. Also why is the bed outside?! Atleast it has a tent roof I guess...

I woke up.

The town was almost pitch black. Most of the artificial light was at the gate, and the rest of the town was lit up only by the half moon in the night sky.

Ahh maybe I went to sleep too soon.

Oh well I can have a little walk. No point in sitting around...

The main bar room was still rather populated. It would seem that the guards which rotated from their day shift headed straight for the bar.

The street outside was deserted. The only people I could see were the two guards outside the gate.

Actually there wasn't even a guard in front of that damn shop.

Wait, no I am not a criminal...

Nooo...

Actually I really hate that shop. This might be a good place to start...

sigh*

I am breaking in. That merchant can go screw himself. It's not like there aren't thousands of others stealing stuff around in this godforsaken desert.

I checked the street four maybe even five times, and quickly sneaked towards the door in a crouched position. I was no thief, but a friend of mine taught me how to work with a lock when we accidentally locked him inside a garru stable. Lucky me. The lock on the shop was really simple. I extremely carefully slid the door open. My heart was beating so loudly that I was scared that it could actually be heard by someone.

Yes! There is no one inside! Very well, what to take... I am not even going to try taking something from the chests... that would be too much noise.

A couple of shelves catched my attention. They were totally full with armour plating and chainmail sheets. Those sell for thousands.

Now to think of a way to take them with me without causing too much noise.

The chainmail went into my pockets easily enough, although I am weighing about 15 kilos more. The plates are a problem though... They don't really fit. But I need to take them... Ah, right!

A belt was hanging from the sides of one of the shelves. I slowly and carefully took it, a single sound here could make me an enemy to one of the most powerful factions in this region. I took the plates and secured them firmly to my waist with the belt.

Whoa! I look armored!

Anyway, I should go... quickly.

The door slid open once again easily enough. Although that was quite a bad thing since I totally forgot to check the street before I opened it. A cold sweat went down my forehead, adrenaline pumping into my heart

Phew! The street is still deserted.

Alright, I should leave this town before anyone notices anything. My best bet is the Hub, since it is filled with exiles and outlaws from the Holy Nation. I can probably sell everything there. Although my plan doesn't go any further than that.

Well, now I am officially a criminal. Good thing is that no one suspects anything though. I am pretty sure I still will be welcome in Holy Nation territory for the time being.

I should get a move on. Since no one really keeps a tab on arrivals and departures here I should be fine if I act as some sort of a drifter. Right?

I began my walk across the gate.

Let me through, let me through!

I made the best tough mercenary impression I could as I came into the view of one of the guards.

Their faces turned into some kind of a smirk. The kind that you do when you want to laugh but you have to stay profesional. Apparently my armored skirt was quite... unusual. Well, atleast the kind I have. Luckily, funny looks is as far as that went and they didn't seem to mind letting me through and I was soon on my way to the Hub. Through an even drier desert. I would say that it was a little more comfortable with the shirt, but I was atleast 30 kilos heavier. I would really love a proper break, but if I stopped walking for too long I would probably be mistaken for a corpse and eaten by the wildlife. My food is running low though, I should keep an eye for one of those dust farms that make money with that ridiculously expensive cactus alcohol that you can't even drink because it completely dries out your throat. Speaking of drinking, atleast I have tons of water, it should last all the way to Hub although it's quite a journey.

Last signs of foliage dissapeared on the horizon as endless amounts of dunes replaced them. The sun was close to twilight.

A slight bump appeared in the sand. It wasn't a stone, that's for sure.

I should check it out, might be something useful. I am probably not going to go any further today anyway.

I slowly approached the bump. It was relatively small, reaching just my knee height.

Time to get some lüt!

So I got digging. The sand was quickly dug away. A white object appeared under the sand, it had one circular hole, two... wait is that a nose?

Shit! It's a goddamn corpse!

Dirty rags covered the lower half of it's face. They stretched across the body of the corpse down to its legs, where ragged halfpants could be found. The clothing was well preserved in the sand, however the same could not be said for the dried rotten corpse inside. A rusted piece of steel was burried nearby, presumably a weapon belonging to the corpse. Its clothing and weapon was reminiscent of the equipment that the starving bandits wear. The smell of the corpse was very light, thanks to it being already dry. It was probably out on the sun for a very long time before being burried.

A single roll of bandage was stuck into one of the pockets of his halfpants.

Uuugh I shall try to not remember this... but that rag shirt could be a perfect piece of upper armor. I mean... it's not like that guy needs it anyway... but having to wear clothing of a dead, rotten corpse... I guess it's something you have to get used to in this world. Atleast it's not a fresh corpse.

Well, I shall close my eyes and try to not think about it.

Rest in peace bandit. Atleast you did some good, even if you were already dead.

I attached the steel rod and pants to my belt and continued on my route.

I am really packed, I don't think I can take any more than this without collapsing in the desert. I look like some kind of a walking bag of random clothing and plates, not to mention the awful weight of chainmail. I am really surprised none of the bandits has taken a liking in me yet.

Huh, a day and 10 hours in and still no sight of either civilisation or any form of life. It's like if some sort of disaster wiped this desert clean... as ironical as it may sound.

grumble*

Yeah yeah I know just a little more. I'm sure...

The dunes went on and on and on, not a single bush, nor any special landmark except a few stones.

This might not have been the best idea I've ever had, but since I already started, I might as well finish it. It's been just 3 days, It's not that bad. It would also seem that the ragged cloth and pants make a great sleeping bag! Who would have thought... Well I should get some sleep. I'm sure something will come up tomorrow.

Damn, this is awful, I am so damn tired... I thought there would be a desert village but nope... nothing, not a single one. That means I am travelling on fumes here, nothing to eat... atleast I still have some water with me.

Wait, there! One... two... thr- that' like 7 or 9 men! They don't look very military though. Actually they look like the... They're bandits, aren't they... Well, it would seem that my luck has finally ran out. Nowhere to hide either... Dammit think... think!

The bandits increased their tempo.

Shit! they saw me!

What do I do...!

Well...shit.

I drew my sabre and gripped it in both of my hands.

I will atleast die fighting if nothing else.

The bandits started running in my direction.

"Gaaaaaah!"

I took up a defensive stance and prepared for the first approaching bandit.

He swung his iron stick high above his head leaving his entire body totally exposed because of his slow, powerful attack. Clearly he was more desperate than skilled.

I gripped my sword, crouched and slipped under him, leaving a massive slice in his stomach.

Three more men, clearly angered by the injuries of their coleague, appeared in front of me

"Leave me alone, dicks!"

A heavy stick flew towards my head. It was quickly parried. Adrenaline was pumping into me like water. It was as if the world slowed down. This was so much different than training. My sword flew from the stick straight into the chest of one of the bandits.

"Shit!"

It's stuck!

"Raaargh!"

whack*


	2. Refugees

"You leave a lot of corpses behind, drifter."

Wha- damn... I got taken out... A roof, bed... bandages. Looks like I got really lucky.

"You got lucky." The mysteriois voice continued.

"Yes." I replied unamused

"What brought you here?"

Ugggh, my head. This is ten times worse than the worst hangover you can get. I should look around... get back to my senses.

"No, no! Don't get up yet, you are barely intact. They were still beating you up at the time we arrived."

"We?"

"Oh, sorry we are a refugee company, we usually scavenge, but we also help the guys that the holy nation idiots chase around for god knows what."

I looked towards the voice. A younger man, barely twenty, was looking back. Bright red hair was sticking out from under his tagelmust, a padded cloth turban wrapped around from his head to neck. Instead of proper clothing, he only had a ragged orange monk robe. He must have been a holy nation monk. Contrary to the fancy title, these guys were pretty much slaves working off their "sins" until they either died of exhaustion or ran away.

He didn't seem to mind my focused look.

"I'm Rags, what about you?"

"Oh, uh.. Sarus, I'm Sarus. Thanks for saving me."

"No problem!" He smiled.

"Oh and about that first question, I'm heading to Hub."

"How convenient! We are heading to Hub aswell! It's our base of operations."

Well aren't I lucky. I might get to Hub afterall!

"Do you think I could sell my gear there?"

"Why, of course! We really need this sort of stuff aswell."

"Now that I think of it... where is my gear?"

"It would be uncomfortable if you slept in it so we put it over there, by the door."

The door opened at the same time I looked in its direction. A rugged, bearded man came in. His attire was a black dustcoat and a leather tricorn hat. A large white nodachi was sticking out behind his head. His gear was so high grade, it could be considered even better than the paladins. As the grey hair and wrinkles signified, he was a rather old person.

He slowly walked towards me.

I inspected him thouroughly.

What does this guy want with me? I hope it isn't some bounty hunter sent by that merchant. He might have tailed me all the way here. With that shirt on and everything I must have been very easy to track.

"So you woke up. Very good, I am glad we got there on time." The man said in a serious, elderly voice.

Huh, well I am glad that you don't seem to be here to kill me...

"He is heading for Hub as well, sir." Rags informed the old man in my stead with a happy tone.

"Very well, I am Gorge, the leader of these guys, you can join us, we have a base in Hub.

A base, huh, well it would certainly help having some allies, and the opportunities to train might be plenty as well.

"Well, yea, I can join you, it's not like I have anything to do or something..."

"That's great! It will be awesome to have you on our side." Rags was still brimming with enthusiasm.

What's up with him? That might be even more naïve than me... This guy seems fanatically loyal, yet at the same time looks like he means well. Interesting.

"Yea, so.. when are we departing?" I inquired, inspecting my wounds.

"It might take some time for you to be in a travelling condition, so we will probably wait a day or so. Our medic will take care of you so don't worry." Rags replied.

"We shall leave you alone for now, don't move around and ruin our bandaging please." Gorge said as he was opening the front entrance with Rags following close behind.

I was left in a cozy room with clay walls covered in rugs as a means of thermal isolation. It was filled with simple wooden furniture and pottery, no sign of technology except for a few lights here and there.

A large bag filled with my stuff was still sitting on a wooden rack in one of the corners. They didn't even take anything. There might be some kind-hearted people in this world afterall...

"Ouch..."

The head is still pulsing with pain... I might have to wait it out. I moved the bed sheets to take a look at my wounds.

My long cargopants and grey shirt were still on. Judging by the awful pain and a large amount of cloth wrapped around it, I'd say that my right leg is broken. That would explain the waiting for "travelling condition".

Well, I should check if I am able to move atleast a little.

Ouch,ouch,ouch,ouch!

One more leg over the bed...

The front door opened. A raven haired woman entered the room. She had similar rags on her as Rags (xD). Although, she also had two red bands of cloth on her arms, probably signifying that she was the medic the two men mentioned.

I won't get to sit today, will I?..

"What are you doing?! You'll ruin my work!" She exclaimed as she hurried towards my bed.

"I just wanted-"

I was grabbed and carefully put back on my back into the bed by her.

Dammit...

"You, just... sleep there!" She said with a sligthly panicked voice.

"Do I really have to spend the entire goddamn day in a bed?" I sighed.

"Uhhh... yes, yes you do. Now let me do my job." She said as she began her check up.

I shouldn't make any more attemps or they will station a guard here or something... Seriously, what's up with this, It's not like me standing up will bring the end of the world...

Ugggh but staying 4 hours straight in a bed with terrible pain all over your body isn't the best relaxation...

Actually, I feel quite a bit better than when I first woke up... Huh...

What time is it anyway... I feel tired...

yawn*

The pillow took me by surprise as I quickly fell asleep...

A ray of light was entering from the ceiling of the room.

Morning, huh?

Not much pain either.

I looked around, the room was still empty.

I'll risk it.

I very slowly and carefully moved my legs into a sitting position. Looks like I can handle moving already, that was quick...

Well, time to explore!

I stood up, the right leg still hurt a little but it handled my weight well. No running for me anytime soon though...

Hmmm I shouldn't take my stuff yet. That is way too much for me to handle currently.

I took my trusty sword which was still bloody from my last battle and opened the door.

Hot air and bright sunlight flowed into the room. I squinted my eyes, a bright sandy desert welcomed me.

So I am still in the middle of nowhere.

I left the small clay hut and looked around. It seemed to be the last house in a somewhat of a street. The street led to a small oasis which was pretty much the first hint of life around here. A few palms and grass were lazily swinging in an ever so slight breeze.

Huh, there is also some kind- ugh what is that...

An awful smell was coming from my right, like the smell of sweat and manure combined.

A garru looked at me from behind one of the buildings.

Well, that would explain the smell...

The four-legged hunchbacked creature was looking at me curiously. It's usefullness a pack creature used widely by merchants and mecenaries for transport of goods made it very widespread across the lands of Kenshi. It was still surprising that there were some out here in the middle of nowhere, the maintenace for them all the way out here must be costly.

I slowly walked towards the oasis. The sun already made me sweat slightly.

I am sure glad that I got here, because I am pretty sure I would be burned alive if I was still travelling today.

The sand village was really tiny, but kind of cozy and heartwarming at the same time. About 6 or 7 buildings created a circle around the central oasis with a small street of 4 buildings ,including the one I was sleeping in, sticking out.

What was definitely NOT cozy was the fact that I didn't see a single human being yet.

I continued my walk downstreet, revealing the garru enclosure behind on of the buildings. the three garru inside were watching me curiously.

I made a light smirk at the stupid creatures and turned my head back to the road. I saw a pair of eyes quickly dissappear behind one of the buildings facing the oasis.

Okay, now that's just weird.

I picked up the pace and quickly walked over to the end of the street. There was no one behind the building. However, a door opened.

It was Gorge, once again in his black coat.

He turned his sight towards me.

"Good, we're leaving." he said nonchalantly

"Wait what?"

Isn't it a bit... too soon? I had both my legs broken mate... a little bit of care wouldn't hurt...

"Well you are up and walking, are you not?" he asked.

"Um, I can go back to bed if you want..."

He laughed.

"Its not that simple I'm afraid." He paused and returned to his serious posture. "We have no time to spare here, you travelled across here, you should know that."

"Fair enough, I'll go pack my stuff."

"Too heavy, Rags will take it for you, you'll get it back at Hub."

I let out a sigh, it's a nice gesture and I wouldn't be able carry the heavy stuff all the way to Hub, but it's still worrying giving all my stuff to the people I met barely a day ago. I still have my sword with me so that's a plus.

"Oh by the way there was some sort of a guy..."

"Don't worry about it, probably a local kid being curious."

"Okay then.."

"We're meeting here in ten minutes so look around or something and then be here."

"Okay, I'll check this place out then.."

"Carry on then, I'll go take care of some stuff." Gorge said as he went in the direction of one of the larger buildings, presumably the house of the town elder.

The desert went back to it's quiet state as both of us went our ways. The oasis was almost crystal clear, it's blue beauty and the green foliage around it were a feast for the eyes in the middle of such a desolate place.

Hmmm, I wonder where others are then... I'll check the other side.

I walked towards a group of three buildings directly opposite of the house Gorge walked out of.

Huh? Voices? No... that seems to be shouting. Who is that...

I walked towards a small hut where the shouting originated from.

A woman and a ma- is that Rags? .. and the other one must be the medic...

The shouting didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon so I decided to sneak under the window of the small hut.

"-just shut up about it! Gorge would kill me if he found out!" Rags argued

"I did what I could, I gave you time and you still shout at me!" The medic woman exclaimed.

"Okay whatever, just get your stuff quickly before something goes to shit..." Rags quieted down.

Shortly after the door of the hut opened.

Oh shit, where do I go...

I panicked and quickly jumped on the street as if I was just passing through.

Rags tilted his head in confusion. He he did a sort of a jump when he realized it was me.

"H-Hello... uh... we're departing already?"

"Um.. Yes... What was that about by the way?"

"O-Oh... so you had to listen to that unpleasantness... Nothing important just a little sibling rivalry..."

"So the medic is your sister?"

"Right... yes she is my younger sister... Mel"

"Oh... I see..."

Both of us paused for a moment. A very very long moment... atleast it seemed to last forever in my head.

Ahh the lovely awkward quietness. I should leave them to it... what a weird argument though...

"Well I will continue my walk then if you won't... mind..."

"Yes, ofcourse go on. We still need to pack our stuff."

Phew! I hope he didn't notice me under the window...

I finished my walk around the village, I finally actually met some locals who seemed somewhat nervous around me, but didn't mind me that much. They were mostly cactus farmers in their traditional embroidened white loincloth, the women also usually wore a colorful poncho over their clothes. They didn't seem very hungry either so life must be very peaceful for them with all their profits from cactus rum. I was actually a little jealous of them, but then again who knows what they have to go through. I slowly walked back towards the house I stayed the night in. It's door was open and two men in the usual refugee rags were moving several crates towards the garru enclosure. I greeted them with a nod and went on inside the house. My stuff was still there, altough Rags was already packing it for transport.

"Hey there Saru- You won't mind if I call you Saru, right?"

"Heh, if you want to." I smiled.

"You need anyting from this stuff? I am almost finished packing here."

Huh, I am glad he either didn't notice me sneaking up on them or he simply forgot about the whole thing.

"Just the bandit ragged clothing, I use it as upper armor."

"Very creative! Although we actually got some loincloth from the locals for getting rid of their bandit problem. Wanna try it?" He asked with his usual childishness.

"Is it atleast padded or something?" I asked. It is very important to wear and take stuff only if it is necessary, otherwise it is a hindrance in both combat and travel.

"I doubt it, I mean, it is tough, but you would have to wear something under- Wait! You could wear both the bandit rags and the loincloth above it! It would be perfect for this desert enviroment."

Whoa, he actually said something inteligent...

"I see... good idea." I replied as I took the clothing from a bag Rags gave me. I quickly put both layers in me.

I look funny... but also a lot more normal.. no skirts this time!

"Whoa! You look a lot more cool than I imagined! Altough the colorful embroidery ruins the tough swordsman look..."

I sighed.

"Where should I wait for you guys?"

"I think Gorge told us to gather at the end of this street... I'm not sure though..."

"I'll go check" I replied as I took a small pouch of bandages from the bag Rags was packing and left the room.

The street was a little more active with a few of Gorge's men preparing the caravan for the journey. At it's end Mel was talking to some person with heavy leather gear and a pair of swords on his back, likely a mercenary or a soldier from refugee ranks. She already had a large backpack on her back and a pair of men were already heading in her direction aswell. It would seem we are departing soon.

I continued walking at a leisurely pace towards the meeting point. Seeing new places like this is truly amazing... I enjoy travelling like this. Although I would appreciate it without the part when everything wants to kill you...

Mel saw me over the shoulder of the armored warrior. She waved me over with a surprisingly smiling face.

"Good to see you walking again Saru!"

What's up with these attitude changes... I feel like something is terribly off...

I snapped out of my thinking as I realized I should probably reply to her.

"T-Thanks... and thank you for saving me..."

There was a slight blush on her for a second... or I am imagining stuff...

"No problem... We are heading out in a few minutes... Do you have everything with you?"

"Yes, I was checking if we are meeting here."

"Yes, you can wait here. Even Gorge is here already." Mel said as she nodded in Gorge's direction.

He was accompanied by Rags and another armored refugee. All three of them wore white clothing to minimize heat although Gorge still had his black coat on... the poor guy must be boiling by now...

He slowly walked towards us

"We're departing."


	3. Spar

It's noon once again and my feet are burning even with the sandals. I never would have thought I would be able to say that the desert got even hotter than before. Both Mel and Rags didn't seem to mind it much... Well actually they don't seem to mind anything. After the initial greetings, not much was said other than some quick notes about the enviroment and warnings about nearby men. This made it even more suprising when Mel simply approached me and asked me how I feel. Her role as a medic quickly explained the approach, but it was still an unexpected turn of events.

"Yeah, everything seems to be in place. The leg stopped hurting a while ago too." I replied.

My mention of the uncanny healing ability of my leg created a tiny bit of worry in her eyes, but either I am just looking too much into the details or she just did her best to hide it. She quickly replaced it with a sincere smile.

"Great to hear that! That means Rags can stop complaining about your luggage and give it to you!" she said with an evil giggle.

'Note to self: watch my words...'

Dammit, now I have to carry all my stuff again... Well, I shouldn't push my luck... atleast it's a good training.

Walking without any gear was getting pretty hard though... sure I have a hurt leg, but I still feel like I will slow down this group if this continues.

"-You used to this kind of travel?" I shot at Mel out of the blue.

She pondered the question for a while.

"Yeah, I guess so, there isn't really a choice when you are on the run from the holy nation." she said informatively.

"I see, so you are basically an outlaw group?" I asked.

She smiled, "Not your average group though, we are the leaders of Hub... well, Gorge is anyway."

I widened my eyes.

"Gorge is the leader of the city we are going to?" I asked with surprise.

"Indeed, but it's not much of a city anymore..." her expression darkened, a somewhat distant sadness found it's way into her eyes. "... it got raided by those holy nation paladins. There we many casualties and we couldn't save all of them. The city burned for 5 days, only a handful of buildings were left intact, the rest of us live in ruins."

"I see, my condolences." I said with as much respect as I could show.

"It is in the past. Our people are led by a good leader." She lightened the conversation.

"I do not know him for long, but he certainly seems to know what he is doing." I replied.

"I hope you will stay long enough with us to see what he can do" she said back with her usual smiling face.

She sure is light hearted... or just hides it well... could be a great trait to have here in the border regions.

"Actually, where are you heading to anyway?" Mel continued.

The question took me by surprise.

"I... haven't really planned anything beyond Hub, I expected to sell my stuff there and continue my journey west." I replied not having found any other answer.

"Nothing? What do you even expect to do in the west?" she said surprised.

"I don't know, I am just looking for adventure, have you heard of any great explorers yet?" I said nonchalantly.

"Well that is ambitious to say the least" she laughed.

"That's it for today people! Let's break camp here." Gorge said as he always did, for the last four days. The journey was awfully long, but having several people watching your back makes things a ton more comfortable, I even get to eat gohan with cooked vegetables every second day... where do these people get so much stuff? I thought it was only the big empires that had that kind of luxury. I decided not to dwell on this too much though, since I should be just grateful for what I have.

I breathed out in relief as I stopped walking and started looking around for a good spot to make a tent. Mel decided to do the same and we didn't continue our conversation. We arrived near a small stone cliff, creating a comfortable shadow across a large area, so the camping spot was pretty obvious. It would seem we are just a couple days from the Hub as it is situated near a canyon created by the "holy river" as some of my farmer coleagues used to call it. I however have no clue what it is actually called outside of the holy empire.

I waved at Rags that I found a spot for my tent, but instead of him giving me just my tent, he approached smugly and dumped all my stuff in front of me.

I looked at him as if betrayed.

"Oh, right, that..." I stuttered.

"Well it shouldn't be a problem for a lone wanderer such as yourself." he replied with a smile.

'Lone wanderer huh? That actually sounds pretty cool'

"I remember there being less...".

"Yea yea, you need to be a better actor than that." he laughed. "How far did you carry it anyway?" he continued with a question.

"From Bad Teeth." I answered.

"And you dare to complain? *Pfft* I should have given it to you long ago." he said, still smiling signifying he was not angry about the situation.

"A little laziness never killed anyone." I played innocent.

"Unless that someone is the person that is carrying your luggage!" Rags complained.

"Hehe." I giggled to which Rags replied with a smile "From where did you carry yourself into this though?" I questioned him after a short pause.

"Stack. But it's a pretty generic story." He answered.

"Come now, I want to hear it anyway, you never know when your boring story might be a miracle for the other."

He sighed and prompted me to sit down near my luggage.

"Fair enough. I was a monk, I served for some asshole paladin who managed the church inside the city. I was pretty much the same as a garru to him, I carried stuff and I got cold mashed greefruit as food..." he paused for a second "... _almost_ every day. Now, you may think it's still more livable than the mines, but one day he used me as a decoy for one of his plans to raise in the ranks. He ordered me to steal some kind of paper belonging to an inquisitor. Of course I was caught, he used the commotion to take the paper and use it against the inquisitor. Naturally I was to be killed for the thievery since I was of no importance to the paladin. By some giant stroke of luck Gorge and some members of his still small band were imprisoned in the same barracks as I. They weren't about to let themselves get killed anytime soon and briefly undid the lock of all the cells with no exceptions-"

Our dialogue was cut short as he was waved at by Gorge, most likely his turn for area recon.

"Oh well, I shouldn't keep him waiting, you probably can imagine how it ended anyway." Rags calmly explained as he stood up. "See ya tommorrow!" he waved at me.

"See you!" I replied with a short wave of my hand aswell. His story explained his loyalty atleast, I wonder what kind of fighter he is.

I was left to myself in front of my tent. The tent itself wasn't any heavier than the river raptor hides I carried from my farm. It's contruction was very simple, four sticks in the sand, and fabric with leather sewed into it over the sticks,a light and efficient design.

I decided to have a short exercise before the night would fall. I took my sword revised my fighting positions one after another. Once that was done I spent the rest of my exercise swinging and testing my endurance, there was a lot left to be desired however.

Night quickly fell upon us as the desert got colder and colder. At first it is always a welcome feeling but during the night the cold can get as uncomfortable as the heat during the day. My tent managed to isolate its temperature quite nicely and the rags combined with loincloth and a simple sleeping bag given to me by my companions was as comfortable as it could get in my situation.

I was considerably tired after the trip, after all we traveled through dozens of kilometers of desert, however as I was about to close my tent and get my deserved sleep, I saw an odd occurence. Mel was stading alone on the cliff above our camp. She had no reason to be there, guard duty was put on Rags today and she wouldn't be a guard anyway since she is not a soldier of the group. Yet she sat there looking... somewhere as in some sort of a cliché story.

I decided to join the cliché as the inner gentleman in me screamed to me that I should check up on her. I approached slowly, so as to not disturb others and perhaps Mel aswell. She didn't notice me, her sight being turned into the abyss of the black night sky, but as I moved closer she jumped up and went into a battle stance. She really was oblivious to my presence... I couln't help it and laughed a little. She did not share my sentiment and a big frown went in my direction.

"I almost fell of the cliff!" she whispered angrily so as to not wake up anyone.

"Sorry, didnt mean to. You should have seen yourself though!" I pestered her some more.

"Be careful that it won't be you falling of the cliff next time." Her angry face continued.

"I'll try to stay off cliffs from now on" I giggled some more, however I returned to a questioning look and asked, "What were you doing up here anyway?".

The question seemed to have caught her offguard as she looked at me in slight surprise.

"I-uh... " she paused for a short while "... I don't know, I like the quiet desert, I thought it would be a nice way to clear my head from all the city stuff. Well, until you came along that is." She said, playing an unamused face, however she returned to her neutral smile shortly after.

"Well sorry for ruining your plans then!" I replied with a quiet laugh.

"Heh, not much of plan. But since it's already ruined I guess we can talk n' stuff" she said quickly.

"Talk n' stuff? What about?" I questioned her.

"Well you could start by telling me who the hell you are that you killed 2 bandits and apparently cut off a hand of a third one even though you apparently traveled for several days before with about 25 kilos of gear on you..." She heightened her voice, and quickly realised the mistake, luckily no one was woken up.

'Well that escalated quickly...' I thought.

"I... was a farmer... I guess I trained a lot?" I replied "wait... a hand?" I continued shortly after.

"Well yea... a cut off hand was lying next to the two dead bodies... wait don't go off the topic! I haven't seen such a farmer in my life... There is more to it isn't there..." She was frowning, eyeing me from head to toe

'I actually parried through a bandit's hand? damn, that's skill (or luck)-'

Mel's laser stare quickly threw me off my thoughts. But, is there more to it? I only really remember that I was simply a farmer my whole life, as child, as an adult... it's just now that I headed out further that the next city from my farm... The fighting ability seemed natural to me, this world is rough, I did train but no more than some of my eqvivalents or rivals. The only answer I could give was:

"I don't know, if there is something to it, I do not know about it."

Mel stared at me for a second, as if in disbelief, then slight worry, as if I defied some law of the universe.

"Is that...so." She replied.

I waited a little bit to let her speak, but there was no continuation of her sentence.

"Why the worry though? I am your ally anyway, right?" I tried to break the silence awkwardly.

"There has been some odd talk about you to be honest I wanted to... hear for myself." whispering silently, taking care no one will hear her.

"What talk?" I replied confused and full of questions.

However Mel offered no answers.

"I am sorry but I cannot talk about it." I could sense that her words were genuine and she wouldn't budge, I decided to leave the matter be.

After that we sat there, on the cliff without uttering a single word, for none of us knew what could break the silence, my brain spent all it's power on figuring out why did I get such an answer, why a farmer skillful at fighting could be such an uncommon sight. Why did I sense the worry in her eyes.

We looked at each other once again, as if waiting for the other to say something. The worry was still there, but as if trying to reassure me she hid it well. In the cold breeze of the night, we were bound leave soon, but none of us moved a muscle. Both of us just stared into the night sky as if paralysed. But the feeling was somewhat warm. Having a person beside you feels comforting, safe. Her change of look spoke for itself, showing she had a similar view. However the cold night was relentless.

"We should go, the journey ahead is still long." she finally said.

"Agreed. Let's not catch a cold or something." I replied shortly after.

We both stood up and went towards the camp.

As we were about to split up into our respective tents she placed her hand on my shoulder and said, "Please be careful, there are people that might want you dead.".

"I-I will..." I replied, disturbed by such an unexpected warning.

After that she made an almost unnoticeable smile and waved for goodbye, I waved back and headed for my tent.

A warm sleeping bag welcomed me in my tent and I fell asleep quickly...

'A table.

Chair.

A single man sitting in front of an unknown device.

Short brown hair, thin and long body, his clothes are unknown to me aswell.

Is that...me?

He looks at a single window.

I can see through his eyes.

A city with massive silhouetes moving across.

"-Robots-" came from my mouth.

What is that word?

A blinding flash of light.

Smoke everywhere.

A wave of fire is heading towards me, I feel anger, a primal rage.

I am engulfed by the fires.'

I breathe in deeply as if the dream punched me in the lungs and look around. I am back in the tent. Light breeze is playing with the tent cloth. I can hear talking outside, it is the voice of Gorge and a mercenary. I am still safe, though shaken by the odd dream.

'What was that all about...' I thought to myself.

Rays of sunlight penetrating my tent signified that I should leave dreams alone and start packing.

Familiar faces appeared as I left my tent.

"Good morning." I said to Gorge and his coleague, with a sleepy voice.

"Slept well?" he asked with an elderly voice.

"Well enough... Bad dreams and stuff."

He laughed.

"Yea I am not lettin' you in my tent." he said with a grin.

I frowned and growled at him, all in good fun of course.

He just returned to his serious leader pose and said, "You woke up just in time, we were discussing how to get through the canyon, my scout from Hub-" he nodded at the man beside him "-reported a group of bandits controling the access to the city from the canyon. While there were alternatives, our supplies demand that we engage them." he paused for effect, "Since you just healed I wanted to have you spar with my men. I do not want any unnecessary casualties." he finished with a serious tone.

An unexpected turn of events, he wants me to spar? Well, I am kind of inclined to say yes, the exercise will go a long way in preparing me for a battle.

"I am happy to oblige." I replied to him.

"Great, since time is short and we want to arrive by the evening, we should start as soon as possible, pack your gear and then report to me." Gorge ordered.

While it is certainly strange to order a stranger as if he was one your own soldiers I guess that being saved by Gorge and also being part of his convoy makes me accept it. He does seem very competent after all.

I went on to my tent, still in the shade of the cliff I sat on yesterday. My tent was packed and I was in full gear once again after five days of regeneration.

I carefully tied everything together and threw it on my back.

"I'm packed, Gorge." I said as I approached him.

"Good, this will be your sparring partner." he said and pointed towards Rags."

I heightened my eyebrows, surprised.

He was in similar gear as I, if loincloth could be called that, and 2 wooden katanas in each hand. One was thrown towards me.

"Show me what you got!" He said in a friendly manner, but with a competitive spirit that only a rival would receive. It would seem he really is hell bent on showing that I won't be better than him anytime soon.

I caught the katana and gripped it firmly in my hand.

"Fight as if your life depends on it Saru." Gorge said behind me.

The whole caravan watched, Mel, Gorge and the three soldiers.

I do not want to lose easily here.

"Fight!" Came from somewhere, I do not know where, as all my senses were already focused on Rags.

He charged first. He had no particular stance, but he was commendably swift. Clearly a hot-head. I only managed to quickly prepare for a defense. His sword crashed into mine with a force which left a severe dent in my katana. He was giving it his everything. My block stunned him just long enough for me to answer with a quick counter, however his swiftness did not end there and it was skillfully dodged. I fought as hard as i could, putting everything I learned into it. Yet it was not enough and the battle ground to a standstill. I stood in defence, Rags swings were powerful, swift but uncoordinated. Each of them was parried and returned, though every counter dodged. Not a single hit landed. The fight was taking its toll on us however and was slowing down considerably. We were jumping and dodging, then just turning and after dozens of minutes, we stood there waiting for a move. However my endurance was clearly lower than his and I soon found myself catching air as if suffocating.

Rags jumped forward, I just stood there and faced Rags with shaking hands. He was confident of his victory. But one of my senses saw something. Gorge. The dream, the blinding light, the fire and... Gorge. The rage appeared, the same rage that filled me when I was swarmed by the bandits. It wasn't adrenaline. A primal power filled my body... Rags katana was torn apart, with him just inches from my own.

He looked at me with shock in his eyes. Everyone looked in shock. But I just stood there almost without an expression, still panting.

"Good job Sarus, that's enough." Gorge finally broke the silence.

I dropped the katana on the ground as if stained by Rags blood, but he was without a scratch.

"Sorry." was all I could muster.

He stood there as if he did not understand my words and stared at the broken sword in his hand. It was completely shattered with only the handle somewhat holding together.

But after a seemingly long pause of us both catching our breath he... didn't react in any negative way...

"So that's what killed the bandits..." he thought out loud.

I just watched him as he smiling through the heavy breathing.

"Some other time then, I will not lose again Saru!" he said, heading towards the rest of his travelling gear.

I stood there for a good minute before preparing for travel aswell.

Where the hell did that power come from? And what does it have to do with the dream? The pieces were there, but nothing was connecting them in my head...


End file.
